MaconDawg at Dawgsports: "Michael Henig staying upright long enough to throw 6 interceptions may actually be progress over last season." Well, progress of a sort, I suppose. You also have to love his take on the Louisville game: "So that's what bringing a knife to a gunfight looks like ..." Yeah, I reckon that's right.

UPDATE:Gregg Ellis says that Croom has reinstated Josh Riddell, formerly suspended QB today. I'll bet after last night's 6 interception performance by Henig, this will cause a few eyebrows to elevate. But I'm sure that didn't have anything to do with it ... ;-)

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Today is game day for Mississippi State and LSU, and the kickoff for the 2007 football season. Today, we'll be looking at the teams who have the biggest games this week: MSU, Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, and LSU.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

What a blogswarm over the Jerrell Powe situation. It seems that yesterday the NCAA ruled that Powe was ineligible to play football until 2008, but in spite of that fact, he could still attend school at Ole Miss, keep his athletic scholarship and attend classes.

Erik at Deepsouthsports calls the NCAA ruling "bat-shit crazy", and at first glance, I am inclined to agree with him. Either Powe is eligible for an athletic grant-in-aid, or he isn't, and if he is eligible for an athletic scholarship, why in the name of all that is holy can he not play football?

DSS quotes Powe's lawyer as claiming that the NCAA just established a new category of qualifier. He calls it the Jerrell Powe category, but I call it some kind of crazy Solomonic solution that calls the integrity of the NCAA itself into serious question. How can a person qualify for a scholarship, yet be forbidden to play? The very concept itself is illogical, unreasonable, and, well, bat-shit crazy.

Of course, now Powe's lawyers are talking about filing for relief under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and given that the NCAA has contradicted nearly every rule it has and quite possibly the very justification for its existence, it's hard to imagine that the Powe won't prevail either on appeal or in a lawsuit.

Such pure humanitarianism is only possible motivating factor for the university, which has obviously admitted a student whose qualifications - the ones entirely invalidated by the NCAA - are woefully inadequate; according to the Association, Powe's coursework verges on non-existent, but he apparently will remain at Ole Miss until he finds a way onto the field, come hell or high water, or, I dunno, bad knees. This is the kind of academic environment Steve Spurrier can appreciate.

SMQ is right -- what motivation can Ole Miss possibly have to give Powe a scholarship of any kind? Based on this NCAA ruling, the very word "scholarship" is an oxymoron if Powe's scholastic work was worthless. To paraphrase Mr. Spock from Star Trek The Original Series, "There is no fact, no extrapolation of fact, or theory ..." which makes sense out of this mess. It is lacking any semblance of reason.

Powe would best be served if he would just give up and spend two years in JUCO, but I suspect that isn't what will happen. By not following anything like their own rules, the NCAA has opened themselves up to a "whadthefxup?" by any number of judges under any number of grounds.

True to form, Loser With Socks' Jai Eugene skewers Powe, Ole Miss, Deepsouthsports, and nearly everybody but the NCAA. Well, I got to give it to him, he makes some resounding arguments against Powe's matriculation to Ole Miss. Looks like to me, though, that even with his 15(!) on the ACT (don't start with the 'cultural bias' crap, I don't want to hear it), he is smarter than the buffoons at the NCAA who handed down this gem of a ruling. Bat-shit crazy, indeed.

OK, today we are still in the game week mode as we move quickly toward the first football of the SEC 2007 season. As you know, we don't have a lot of big games coming up this week, but there are at least 3 or 4 games that have a little bit of mystery to them.

But we'll get to that. First, let's have a look at the injury and suspension reports from blogs around the league:

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Roy Exum writes today for the Chattanoogan.com about an attempt by colleague David Paschal to define the "75 Greatest Moments" in the SEC throughout the length and breadth of it's storied history (evidently available to print subscribers only). Exum was rather shocked, to say the least, that Paschal led off with Hal Mumme instituting the "Air Raid" offense at Kentucky.

Now, I am a Kentucky fan, and I do look fondly on the somewhat goofy memories of that first season, the amazingly good results we had with Mumme's new scheme, his endearing if somewhat whimsical obsession with all things Jimmy Buffet, the wailing air-raid sirens every time his TV show came on. Kentucky fans have been largely bereft of any kind of football glory since the heady days of 1976 and 1977 when we shared the SEC regular season championship with Georgia and Alabama, respectively, up until then. Never mind that he left under a cloud of distrust and doubt -- for a couple of years there, Hal Mumme gave Kentucky fans something different, and not just in terms of victories on the gridiron.

But even this Kentucky fan has got to agree with Exum. There are so many great moments in SEC football, choosing among them would seem to be like choosing from among the stars in the sky. Heck, Roy wheels off quite a few classics just ruminating over his column. Still, he comes to the conclusion that even though he didn't agree at first take, Paschal's article made him think about the impact of the "Air Raid", about the fact that it brought UK its first victory over Alabama since 1922.

Heck, how about that "hail mary" pass back in 2002 when LSU pulled off the "Bluegrass Miracle?" Or Alabama winning the Iron Bowl on a last -second 52 yard field goal in 1985? Or Herschel Walker -- just about every play? The list could literally go on forever.

But ultimately, Exum doesn't think that the Mumme offense even hits his top 750, and you know, I would probably agree with him. But if one were to try to pick 75 or even 175 great moments from the SEC, calling any of them worthy of the moniker "greatest" is going to get second-guessed from the bayous of Baton Rouge to the hills of Knoxville. But just as Exum said -- no matter who picks what, they all make us think -- and they are all great.

Monday, August 27, 2007

As we all know, this is it -- game week. It's time for all the SEC football teams to show us what they are made of, who's on first, put the petal to the metal, git it on, git 'er done -- well, you "git" it. So all this week, we are going to be looking first to game posts -- the best analysis, the best prognostication, etc., regarding this weekend's games.

While some of us in the SEC will be cupcaking our way through Saturday, a few of us, most notably Tennessee and MSU will not. Georgia has a fairly worthy opponent, and so does Ole Miss. For the rest of us, it is more like a scrimmage weekend, but at least we aren't scrimmaging against ourselves.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Yes, yes, I know it's football season. I know basketball season isn't for a couple of months. But we do need to perform a little roundball coverage, and that's what we're doing today.

The question for today is, who is getting the job done recruiting wise in the SEC for 2008 so far? Yes, we have a long way to go before we assign ratings to teams for recruiting, but let's take a look at the top three performers so far in both the East and the West.

SEC East

Florida -- Billy Donovan is once again taking it to conference rivals. 5-star stud C/PF Kenny Kadji from IMG Academy leads the way. 4-star PF Allan Chaney from New London, CT has also pledged to the Gators. 3-star small forward Ray Shipman and point Erving Walker round out the class.

Kentucky -- Billy Gillispie has only has one player committed so far, but it is 5-star point forward DeAndre Liggins from Chicago.

Tennessee -- Like Kentucky, Bruce Pearl has only inked one commit at this point, 4-star center Philip Jurick of Chattanooga.

SEC West

Alabama -- For a guy who's coaching skills may best be described as mediocre, Mark Gottfried continues to prove that he can tap the talent in his home state, and it is considerable. Jamychal Green, a 5-star stud power forward leads the class, followed closely by 4-stars Tony Mitchell (small forward) and Alabama SG (and brother of current Tide player Ronald) Andrew Steele.

Mississippi State -- Rick Stansbury is working on what is unquestionably his best recruiting class ever, pillaging Kentucky for 5-star shooting guard Scotty Hopson, and gaining the favor of in-state 4-star Romero Osby. 3-star Virgina point guard Demarquis Bost rounds out the class.

Arkansas -- John Pelphrey has obtained commitments from 3-star point guard Terrance Joyner from Mendenhall, Mississippi, and unrated small forward Chris Gragg.

UPDATE: And in the very, very latest, Marcus Harrison, DE at Arkansas, has been arrested for felony drug possession in Fayetteville in connection with some of the wacky weed. The Hog Blogger, like us, is speechless.

Friday, August 24, 2007

One of the missions of this blog (a blog with a mission? -Ed.) is to try to maintain as comprehensive a list as possible of SEC related blogs. It is a bigger job than I thought, because the Internet is, well, a big place.

It is so big, in fact, that I have to periodically enlist some help from people who read us. That's the point of this particular post. If you know of an SEC-related blog not listed on my blogroll to the left, or you are a new SEC blogger, please drop me a note at bestofsec@gmail.com, and I will get your site into my feed reader and on my blogroll.

On another administrative subject, those of you who read this blog will note that some schools get more tags than others. Quite simply, some schools have a really outstanding blog presence online, and I am not really an "affirmative action" blogger -- the best of the day in my opinion usually gets a mention. Not always -- occasionally when a school hasn't been mentioned for a while, I make a point to link one of their blogs. Also, I don't really do message boards unless they also have a blog, so schools with a really strong message board presence but a weak blog presence are obviously underrepresented.

But the goal, obviously, is to notice the best or the most interesting out there, while tying to maintain some semblance of egalitarianism. It is a tricky balancing act, and is turning out to be tougher than I thought. So for those out there blogging excellence who think I am ignoring you, be patient. There is a man, not a machine, behind this thing, and I'm giving it my best.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

The Tuscaloosa News has a big, fat story on a big, fat story in Sports Illustrated (don't you just love how the media loves to write about ... itself!?). Here is a quote from the SI article:

“They have welcomed him as Caesar, as pharaoh, and paid him enough money to burn a wet dog. Now he will take them forward by taking them back to the glory of their past -- the 21 Southeastern Conference championships, the 12 national championships, the Team of the 20th Century (as The Wall Street Journal called the Crimson Tide in 2000).

“Saban has not promised them so much -- 'I don’t believe in predictions,’ he says -- but they believe. It may take two years, three, more, to be in the discussion again when people talk about the best teams in college football. But they know he will take them home."

I think a comparison to Napoleon would be more apt. Saban has been crowned Emperor of Alabama for the nonce, but what will happen if Tuberville defeats him and Alabama wins 7 or 8 games, and maybe loses whatever bowl they wind up in? As a Kentucky fan, I understand, perhaps as only Kentucky fans can, about what expectations can mean when the fans are, as my grandmother used to say "A bit tuch'd". But basketball and football are vastly different, and if Alabama is unable to contend for an SEC championship this year, how many more years will Saban get, especially given the amount of money he is being paid?

Alabama fans expect results. 92,000 fans at a practice game don't suggest that they are expecting a couple more seasons as also-rans. But when they look at his salary and the historical place of Alabama in the national picture, 7 or even 8 win seasons will not get it done. 'Bama fans are bound to want much more, and that right soon.

How soon? Well, I'm not really qualified to say, this being football and all. But my guess is, this year is Saban's only warm up. If Alabama isn't contending for the SEC championship next year, I'll wager "FireNickSaban.com" will be up and busy, and 'Bama fans will be making ready to exile him to whatever the SEC football equivalent of Elba is (maybe Kentucky, like Bill Curry).

Frankly, I hope Saban succeeds. Alabama and Kentucky fans are closer kin than most of either fan base would admit. Only in Kentucky basketball can Alabama fans find a peer when it comes to passion ... nay, obsession, with a college sport. Maybe Gator football (remember Ron Zook?), but I'm not so sanguine about that.

Anyway, Nick Bonaparte, good luck. You are going to need a heaping helping, in my judgment. Like my brethren in Lexington, Alabama fans are not noted for their long-suffering patience.

The Tide Druid also has the report, and tries to convert what it says into a comprehensible sequence of events.

Moving on, our next stop is College Football Resource, who was voted the #2 Football Blog by SI on Campus. Not only that, but he has his usual Tuesday pundit roundup, which is not to be missed. In this week's edition, he calls the Pat Forde article about football in the South "Pure poppycock." Read the whole thing.

Jon at Fulmer's Belly continues his ranking of SEC coaches. It's a bit of a surprise to find Phillip Fulmer ranked only 8th, and Kentucky's Rich Brooks ranked higher than Urban Meyer and Houston Nutt. With all the BS Nutt went through earlier this year, and all the crap that fell out of his pie hole, I can't quite believe he ranks below Brooks. And Brooks getting gigged for touting his team, well -- that just ain't right, Jon! Fulmer's Belly also thoughtfully plugs Best of the SEC Blogs. Thanks, Jon!

Heisman Pundit has a roundup of college football, and it is well worth reading. It seems that the Big 10 commissioner suggested that the SEC had lower academic standards than the Big 10, and maybe that's why the SEC has so much speed. HP mocks both the SEC and the Big 10 in two paragraphs. And they said it couldn't be done ...

Fulmer's belly ranks the SEC coaches starting from worst to best. Auburn fans won't like the fact that Tubby makes #12, and his biggest complaint seems to be that Tubs is boring. Well, maybe, but Tuberville was the AFCA coach of the year only 2 seasons ago.

Senator Blutarsky at Get the Picture doubts seriously if the rest of the conferences can bring the Big 10 and the Pac 10 to their knees by leaving them out of a new playoff scheme. My take is, if the Big 10 and Pac 10 loose money, they will capitulate. If not, they won't. As it has been for some time now (like, maybe 230 years or so), in American, money talks and bullshit walks.

This season will be an all out war between Alabama fans and the rest of the SEC.Don’t expect too much support from other SEC West teams. We’ll see plenty of signs calling Saban a liar, loser, and much more. Expect it to be at an all time high when Alabama plays Auburn (since it is on the road )and LSU (because some of them have gone crazy with rage). Expect some sort of “I told you so!” moment after Alabama’s first loss (as if they were the only ones who said it during the pre-season).

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Florida State will open the season ranked No. 19 despite tough times in Tallahassee in recent years. That means Florida will face FIVE of the top-20 teams. That’s more than anyone else will have to go up against. It puts into perspective the need to have two or three home wins you can count on, doesn’t it.

I hate to break it to Larry, but the Kentucky Wildcats face no less than five top 20 teams themselves based on the most recent poll: LSU, Florida, Louisville, Georgia, Tennessee. In fact, Kentucky faces three of the current top ten: LSU, Florida and Louisville. Throw in Arkansas at #21, and frankly, I think UK's is "bigger" than Florida's in this dimension.

If Bama is going to have to win with offense, they're going to find that harder than they think. I don't think they're scoring 45 points on SEC teams, and may have trouble holding the better offenses in the league to less than 30.

That's likely to be right. Although, I really don't think Alabama will be that bad defensively. They have serious questions, though, especially against the run.

Jai Eugene at Loser with Socks thinks the Gators aught to be #1 till someone proves they can beat them. I think this argument actually has some merit, but I'm sure the media types who vote in the poll won't see it.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Lots of SEC bloggers have been weighing in on the conference wars lately, and so have many of the mainstream media. GeauxTigers at And The Valley Shook points us to this article by Pat Forde of ESPN, which explains why the passion of the South propels the SEC to pre-eminence in college football. Forde's article makes sense to me, but then again, he is talking about people like me. Forde holds forth that the South is college football, and anything less than the best is simply unthinkable:

The reason is simple: The SEC has to be better than the Pac-10. It's nonnegotiable.

The quality of life in the South is dependent upon good college football. Local economies, race relations and collective psychological health all would suffer without it. Sweet tea would not be as sweet. Fried chicken would not be as crispy. Country songs would be even sadder.

If SEC football were mediocre, the South might as well be back in Reconstruction.

Auburn Football at Fanblogs discusses this Tony Barnhart (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) article where Barnhart ranks the conferences, then defends his choices. Really, the biggest debate seems to be for second place. I find it interesting that both the blogger and Barnhart rank the Big East so low.

Ching interviews Georgia assistant coach Jon Fabris, and Fabris finds the kicking game to be inconsistent in NCAA rules, with a large disparity between how punts and kickoffs are handled. Injuries are also a concern, something that we worried about here back when we first blogged on the rule.

Dawg Sports and Hey Jenny Slater both take a look at the football Blogpoll with different perspectives. Kyle King at Dawg Sports makes the case for resume ranking. Doug at Hey Jenny Slater says his Blogpoll ballot sucks, and that it was much easier last year than this.

A few more quick hits:

Brandon at Cock -n- Fire takes a long, hard look at the Kentucky Wildcats game with the 'Cocks down in Columbia, and pronounces it a dead heat -- almost.

Heisman Pundit looks at the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy at this very early stage of the game. Will pre-season publicity have more of an impact than actual performance?

Suarian Sagacity ranks the best teams based on his own algorithm over the last five years. Needless to say, Stewart Mandel and he come to rather different conclusions.

Guy Tiller at VolNation makes the case that close calls are the difference between a good season and bad. Taking a look at some of the teams who had close calls go against them last year (and if your memory is bad like mine, you might be surprised at who they were), you have to wonder what could have been but for a couple of bounces.

There are many more blogs worthy of mention today, but it is time for dinner and a big, juicy steak awaits. So, until later ...

Thursday, August 16, 2007

OK, so I had to stray a little into basketball there yesterday. So sue me.

But not so today. Today we return to the sport that is nearly at hand, and have a look at some of the interesting bits out there on Al Gore's greatest invention.

First, there is this article from The Ledger in Lakeland, Florida. It's been a while since I have seen a mainstream sports media outlet rub salt in a wound like this. It starts with the title, which is fittingly "Flashbacks of 41-14 Loss to Florida Still Haunting Buckeyes". Stings a little but not too bad, right? But it does get better:

The loss of so many well-known standouts from last year's team - Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Troy Smith, receivers Anthony Gonzalez and Ted Ginn Jr., tailback Antonio Pittman, three defensive linemen, two starters in the secondary - may actually make it easier for the Buckeyes to purge those dreadful memories. At least that's the hope.

"I think they've probably been beat up enough. We're ready to move on," Heacock said of the returning players.

Heh. If this isn't a "Poor wittow Buckeys" moment, I have never seen one. Jeez, the angst is killing me. Congrats to The Ledger for totally emasculating the Big Ten's most accomplished football team.

Having lofty goals is definitely a good thing, but one must wonder if the word "realistic" should enter into their thinking. Is it really realistic for Vanderbilt to get invited to a BCS bowl, given their schedule? VSL hasn't yet gone that far, but one thing is for sure -- the Commodores will be no pushover this year. Consider the rest of the SEC on notice. Whether the rest of us "pundits" believe it or not, the 'Dores claim to believe.

The Associated Press defends the Pac 10 from the evil SEC and, in particular, that minion of Saban Satan himself, Les Miles. The article points out proudly that four of USC's last five losses have come against Pac 10 teams, dating back to 2002:

But to some critics — including Miles, perhaps — those results only support the perception that the Pac-10 has become USC and the Little Nine. The Trojans have won or shared four straight conference titles.

The perception is, so to speak, miles away from reality. Most of USC’s recent trouble has come in its own backyard.

Four of USC’s last five losses, dating to October 2002, have come against Pac-10 rivals.

Now, think about that for a minute. In the last 4 years, USC has suffered only 4 defeats at the hands of conference foes. No SEC team can even come close to matching that 4-year conference record. For example, in that same time period, Florida lost something like 11 games to conference foes. Auburn lost 9. LSU lost 10. You get the picture, but apparently Pete Carroll doesn't:

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

We all know that football season is almost here, but there are lots of folks around the SEC thinking about basketball. As a Kentucky Wildcat fan, I think about basketball a lot, and today I'll be recognizing the intrepid SEC basketball bloggers trudging toward the glorious day in mid October when hoops practice begins.

Joswalt at the RazorBlog has a post about John Pelphrey's latest recruit. He is from Georgia ... no, the other Georgia over by Russia, not the home of the Dawgs.

Finally, WrathofRupp at Wildcats Thunder Blog has a post about how Rick Pitino, the formerly-kind-of-beloved-but-wildly-successful Kentucky basketball coach rebuilt the UK basketball team from the ashes of well-deserved NCAA sanctions.

Obviously, since this is football season, we have a short post here. But we have to keep an eye on basketball as well as football, and I don't know how I'm going to keep up during the overlap.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

The best thing you can say about Tuesday is that it isn't Monday. Never has that been more true for me than today. But time marches on, and so we continue inexorably forward to the start of a brand new season.

So who is blogging excellence today? I found a few, as usual.

Tuesday means College Football Resource has a big post, and today is no different. From a great post on scheduling by DawgsOnline to a history lesson about Boise State, Southern Cal and more. Must read, as always, for football fans of any league.

MaconDawg at Dawg Sports takes us around the SEC for a look at recruiting. Well, kinda -- as long as you are an Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, MSU, Florida, Tennessee or LSU. Ole Miss, Kentucky, Vandy, Arkansas and South Carolina fans will just have to fend for themselves.

Doug at Hey Jenny Slater once again tempts the wrath of a vengeful God. This time, his target is the Rebels of Ole Miss.

The LSU Football Analyst has a detailed post of scrimmage statistics. You know you are way into football when you report scrimmage statistics. Even UK Wildcat fans don't keep statistics for Big Blue Madness -- at least, not to my knowledge ...

If you haven't read this story or heard it before, you really should just bookmark the link above and do it. It is one of the most fascinating stories I have ever read about Bear Bryant, and even if you don't love Alabama football, you should read this. I have always been a sucker for stories about redemption.

Continuing with the Alabama theme, we have this story from the Memphis commercial appeal about Nick Saban. Seems he is as much of a stranger to his players as he is to most Alabama fans. I found this kind of interesting:

Fair or not, Saban has become the poster child for coaching-salary excess ($5 million per year), though Castille, speaking to reporters at SEC Media Days last month in Birmingham, said he had been unaware that Saban is the highest-paid coach in college football. If Saban resides in a stratospheric tax bracket, well, Castille could not care less.

"I mean, the only time I ever really think of it is when I see him hop into his Mercedes," Castille said.

Now, I don't know Nick Saban from a load of coal, but I don't particularly like to see coaches parading expensive cars in front of players. I would rather Saban come to work in a less ostentatious vehicle. It's no mystery to anyone that he is the highest paid college coach in America, but tooling around campus in a Mercedes just doesn't seem like the best way to demand sacrifice from your players. I'm probably just old-fashioned, though.

On top of this, Cary Estes at ESPN thinks Nick Saban is overrated, and he may have a point. But one thing is for sure -- Nick Saban has energized the considerable Alabama fan base, and that is good news for a dispirited Tide following who must feel like the post-Bryant years are like Moses' time in the desert. They are starved for national relevance, and while Saban is a rock star now, he will have very far to fall if he doesn't deliver -- and soon.

From one overrated thing to another, Trev Alberts of CSTV thinks Florida is overrated this year:

Florida is the most-overrated preseason team in the last 10 years. I understand what they achieved last year. But with what they lost, the conference they play in, to be No. 3 in the country in the Coaches' Poll? They're probably No. 11, No. 12, just outside the Top 10 if you ask me. All of their preseason rankings are based on what they accomplished last year.

I think he's right in one respect -- the Gators are ranked way too high at number three. But I don't think they deserve a ranking outside the top ten, either.

Complicating Florida's situation is their kicking game, which, if you believe this report, is in even worse shape than last year. Chris Hetland was only 6-15 last year, including 3-11 outside of 20 yards, and he is gone. Who will replace him? Well, at this point, neither Joey Ijjas or Jonathan Phillips is setting the world on fire.

The Gators weren't exactly the hottest special teams school in the SEC last year. The fact that their kicking game seems to be sub-Gator standard is not promising, and only reinforces the idea that perhaps the Gators are not quite worthy of their lofty pre-season ranking.

Auburn is dealing with a good news/bad news situation. The good news is freshman quarterback Kodi Burns is making a serious impression on the coaching staff. The bad news is that Auburn is racking up some serious injuries, including some hits to the O-line and special teams.

Arkansas cannot seem to go a day without off the field controversy. This time, it comes in the form of an ESPN report that Darren McFadden has already taken a decision to enter the NFL draft after this year, which allegedly came from McFadden's mother. Now, that news should come as a surprise to no one, except it did -- to his mother.

On top of all the Houston Nutt drama, this is just one more distraction Arkansas doesn't need.

Bobo at WorldClassGlass (Ole Miss) notes this Andy Katz article over at ESPN. Apparently, some teams in the SEC like to play little pre-game games to annoy the visitors. Fortunately, the SEC isn't anywhere near the worst offender of this sort. Some of these "annoyances" are pretty unsportsmanlike, if you ask me.

Bobby O'Shea at Vanderbilt Sports Line has a schedule preview for Vandy. He has Vandy beating such worthies as Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Wake Forest. With all due respect, I think optimism has gotten the better of him. But who knows?

There is little doubt that the Houston Nutt drama in Fayetteville is beginning to wear on the psyche of Arkansas fans. Razorback fans should be in hog heaven over Darren McFadden's Heisman bid, and the promise of some exciting football this season, but the coach's on and off the field newsmaking is beginning to take a toll.

Today’s been a rough day for Hog fans. Any doubt we once had that nothing was afoot in Fayetteville can essentially be tossed out the window. We’ve tried to stay positive. We’ve tried to give Houston a break at times, hard as it’s been. After today, though, we’re done. Win or lose, Houston Nutt is a distraction, and is hurting the program. We understand that there are 20 oral commitments at stake. We understand there is a race for the Heisman Trophy set to begin in a little over three weeks. And yes, for the millionth time, Nutt defenders, we understand that this team won 10 games last season. However, we will not stand here and tolerate this ridiculous conspiring, blatant rule-breaking, rumoring, intimidation, and all-around absurdity.

The Gamecock faithful have been in high dudgeon over Steve Spurrier's recent comments to the media bemoaning South Carolina's admissions policy. Scott Hood at Gamecock Central tells Gamecock fans to chill, all will be well:

I’ve even seen posts bemoaning the prospect of Spurrier eventually departing USC over the issue.

The job of a public university is not to weed out undesirable students who are otherwise qualified out of some vague notion that they might not be able to graduate. Granted, the school can't graduate for the student, but the university is supposed to provide the resources necessary for the student to graduate. If no more than six out of every 10 students walk off your campus with a diploma within six years of beginning classes, something is wrong with the system, not the students.

I think he's right.

Finally, The Capstone Report (Alabama) says that Nick Saban is really pissing him off. Pay no attention to the tongue behind the cheek.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

A lot of us SEC fans like to think that the SEC is the King of Football conferences, and perhaps we are. But history may spread a bit of doubt upon that.

As of 2005-06, this is what the SEC vs. The World looked like:

Southeastern Conference vs. Division I-A Conferences

Conference

Games

W

L

T

%

Sun Belt

191

178

9

4

94.20%

Western Athletic

103

91

10

2

89.30%

Mid-American

75

58

16

1

78.00%

Mountain West

155

109

42

4

71.60%

Conference USA

1181

758

374

49

66.30%

Big East

172

103

59

10

62.80%

Pac-10

108

63

38

7

61.60%

Atlantic Coast

1719

893

743

83

54.40%

Big 12

635

310

301

24

50.70%

I-A Independents

97

46

47

4

49.50%

Big Ten

184

86

91

7

48.60%

This is not so bad. The only conference we don't have winning record against is the Big Ten, and Independents and we are very nearly even with both. So just for comparison, let's look at the same thing from the standpoint of the Big Ten:

Big Ten Conference vs. Division I-A Conferences

Conference

Games

W

L

T

%

Sun Belt

14

14

0

0

100.00%

Mid-American

253

215

34

4

85.80%

Conference USA

96

74

19

3

78.60%

Western Athletic

44

33

11

0

75.00%

Big East

490

324

147

19

68.10%

Mountain West

101

66

30

5

67.80%

Atlantic Coast

277

174

98

5

63.70%

Big 12

538

309

208

21

59.40%

Pac-10

528

265

250

13

51.40%

Southeastern

185

91

87

7

51.10%

I-A Independents

502

211

266

25

44.50%

I suppose that's pretty much what we would expect. It's interesting to note that although the SEC has a loosing record to the independents, it is a better record than the Big 10's. Interestingly enough, taking all wins and all games into account, the Big 10 and SEC have an identical 58% winning percentage overall against others.

Since there has been much talk about the SEC vs. the Pac-10, we might as well look at their table, also:

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BestofSEC

I am a fan of all SEC sports, but full disclosure requires that I tell you I am a University of Kentucky fan first. However, my commentary and offerings on this blog will not be UK-centric. To the contrary, UK will be treated as fairly as cognitive dissonance will allow.
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